Parents’ Week 2010: Knowing Families – registration now open
21/07/2010
The 11th national Parents’ Week runs from Monday 18 to Sunday 24 October and registration for supporters is now open.
Register now for your limited edition Knowing Families book to support your Parents’ Week events. After registration, event ideas can be accessed and a media pack can be downloaded.
We are keen to work with national organisations and local authorities to raise the profile of family support during Parents’ Week. If you would like to become a Parents’ Week partner, please email: sophie.linington@familyandparenting.org.
Fylde children get a Sure Start
11/05/2010
A NEW children's centre to help out youngsters and their parents has opened on the Fylde.
The Cleveleys Children Sure Start centre has been described as a haven for people who need help.
It also gives them the chance to interact with the community.
Mums bid farewell to Pen Green stork
05/05/2010
A midwife has said a fond farewell to a Corby SureStart centre after 10 years of working with young mums and delivering 333 babies.
Many of the girls Chris Garvey has worked with at the Pen Green Centre turned up to wish her well on her last day as a specialist midwife.
The role has seen Chris, who has been a midwife for 27 years, prepare teenagers to become mums during their pregnancies, before delivering their babies.
Vulnerable mums project expands
20/04/2010
A pilot peer-support programme run by a charity for vulnerable pregnant women and mothers has been given £370,000 to expand.
The Big Lottery Fund awarded the money to Family Action after an evaluation of the pilot in Southwark showed improvements in the relationship and mental health outcomes of mothers and babies involved.
More help with housing for homeless teenage parents
01/04/2010
Teenage parents stand to benefit from new places in supported housing, following the Prime Minister’s commitment to increase the help and support available for 16- and 17-year-old parents.
Five months on from the Prime Minister’s commitment, funding has been allocated for over 200 new homes offering support for 16- and 17-year-olds who need it. New figures released today by the Homes and Community Agency, show that over £13 million has already been invested in improving the housing and support available to young parents who are homeless.
The majority of these new homes will be built before April 2011. This represents significant progress in reaching the target of 500 new places in supported accommodation by 2012, with increasing numbers of projects underway.
Barnardo's report highlights teen mums' struggle to get back into education
14/03/2010
Teenage mothers face a raft of barriers preventing them from getting back into education, according to a damning report by Barnardo's.
Called Not the End of the Story, the report surveyed teenage mothers and found that many felt they had been unofficially excluded from school by having a child at a young age.
This left many abandoning career aspirations and resigning themselves to a low-income lifestyle.
Grandparents in low-income families risk financial hardship to provide free childcare
02/03/2010
New report from Grandparents Plus and the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Grandparents who are filling the ‘care gap’ in some of Britain’s most vulnerable families are risking hardship themselves, a new report from Grandparents Plus and the Equality and Human Rights Commission reveals.
The report “Protect, Support, Provide” highlights that grandparents in families most at risk of poverty are under increasing pressure to take on a caring role. It shows that working age, working class grandmothers on low incomes are most likely to be providing childcare and to have given up work or reduced their hours to care for grandchildren. This has an impact on household income and may have an effect on a grandparent’s pension rights as well as their health.
Agencies team up to help families find financial support
04/02/2010
Child Poverty Action Group has teamed up with family support agencies to help families with children under five to find grants and benefits.
The new service also involves volunteer service Home-Start and Turn2Us, which offers advice and guidance to families seeking benefits and financial support.
The Maximising Income for Families project will be piloted from now until March 2011, with funding from the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
Learning how to be a dad
27/01/2010
EXPECTANT dads have the chance to learn baby skills at a series of ante-natal classes for men.
Staff from the Headland Future community group are running the courses as part of a wider programme across Hartlepool to help dads-to-be, and also those with children, become better parents.
The free ante-natal classes start next month and men can learn about hygiene, changing nappies, clothes and how to bond with their baby.
Working parents to be given more choice
20/01/2010
A consultation is to take place on the notice period fathers have to give for two-week paternity leave, the government has announced.
As part of the Families and Relationships Green Paper, the government is seeking to extend the choices families are able to make in relation to work-life balance.
Sure Start children's centres will be encouraged to offer a walking bus service to help increase the hours when parents can potentially work.
More help for families facing relationship breakdowns
12/01/2010
Parents and families going through separation and relationship breakdown are to be promised more support, in plans expected from the government.
The plans to be set out in a Families Green Paper will propose better advice and information for couples.
It will address the balance between work and childcare - and look at ways of making public services for "family friendly".
There will be targeted support for groups with particular needs, such as very young parents and parents of disabled children.
Children's centre offers early days tips
12/01/2010
Jane Foley is outreach manager at the Crescent Children's Centre in Meir. The centre recently started a dads' group, aimed at providing information, advice and support to new dads.
She says: "One of the things we are very aware of is that dads often don't feel included with a new baby because the focus is on mum most of the time. On Saturdays we encourage dads to come into the centre, use our facilities and share information with them about the impact they can have on their baby's life. It's so important they bond with their baby early on.
"Children's centres and nurseries can often be female dominated environments, but we are working hard to change that and make men comfortable.
Government response to the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group's sixth annual report
15/12/2009
Children’s Minister Dawn Primarolo and Public Health Minister, Gillian Merron today welcomed the publication of the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group’s sixth annual report and will be responding to all the recommendations next year.
They called on local authorities and Primary Care Trusts to continue prioritising the Government’s Teenage Pregnancy Strategy beyond December 2010 – putting a particular focus on improving sex and relationships education (SRE) in and out of schools and helping sexually active teenagers use contraception effectively. In addition to the £45m provided for improved contraceptive services over the last two years, local areas have recently received additional support through the Contraception Worth Talking About campaign, which was launched on 30 November 2009. This will be further supported by legislation to make SRE a compulsory part of the curriculum from September 2011.
Dads without training 'a danger at childbirth'
25/11/2009
Dads are a danger to their partners and babies if they attend the birth of their child without proper preparation and training, a fatherhood expert has claimed.
Duncan Fisher, director of Family Info and former chief executive of the Fatherhood Institute, will make the argument today in a debate at the Royal College of Midwives Student Conference.
According to Fisher, fathers can have a huge positive influence when present at the childbirth, but a lack of information can lead to them doing more harm than good. He will be debating with obstetrician Michael Odent, who has recently stated that fathers should not be present at a child's birth at all.
'It's a young dad's life'
13/11/2009
A series of photos have been produced of proud young dads from Sedgefield in County Durham showing the positive impact they make on their children's lives.
Use Fathers Plus resources to support your team to reach out to local family men.
Ideal to give away at ante-natal visits and in children's centre registration packs.
Spread the message about the importance of men in children's lives.
Developing maternity services for teenagers
13/11/2009
Consultant midwife Rachel Ambler spoke of the negative impact critical and reactive health professionals can have on pregnant teenagers at a recent meeting in London.
A consultant midwife in public health at the Whittington Hospital in North London, she was speaking at the Maternity and Newborn Forum in the Royal Society of Medicine.
She said that ‘once you get a young person into the maternity service then it is far too late to be judgemental.’ This might be the first organisation to offer congratulations to the teenage couple on the pregnancy.
Government listens to grandparents’ opinions
12/11/2009
Grandparents and their representative organisations will today attend a cross-Government summit to explore the changing role of grandparents in society and talk to Ministers about how the Government can support them.
Topics for discussion include how families and childcare services can adapt to better meet the needs of grandparents, the impact of combining employment with care of their grandchildren, and ways to provide more information to grandparents more effectively.
The findings from the summit will inform the forthcoming Families and Relationships Green Paper. The Green Paper will look at how government can better support all family members, including grandparents, and how services can cater for their differing needs.
Dawn Primarolo: Areas must continue to reduce Teenage Pregnancy rates further
11/11/2009
Children’s Minister Dawn Primarolo today called on local authorities and health trusts to continue to prioritise the Government’s successful teenage pregnancy strategy, to further bring down teenage conceptions.
The call to action comes as the Government publishes its response to the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group (TPIAG) 2007/08 annual report. The Government has taken forward all the major recommendations including making sex and relationship education statutory from 2011, and investing more than £45 million in improving young people’s access to contraception.
How tough love breeds smart children
08/11/2009
Children brought up by parents practising "tough love" are more likely to become rounded personalities with well-developed characters than those who face either authoritarian or laissez-faire approaches, research reveals today.
The study, by the thinktank Demos, tracked the lives of 9,000 families and found that 13% used a "tough love" approach, combining warmth and discipline. It did not matter whether the parents were rich or poor – those that adopted the approach brought up children who were more likely to be empathetic, more able to control their emotions and bounce back from disappointment, and more capable of concentrating and completing tasks.
First-time mothers need support most at five months
02/11/2009
The Department of Health has pinpointed the most important time for children's professionals to offer support to first-time mothers outside of the first eight weeks of motherhood.
Based on the views of first-time mothers that used the NHS Baby LifeCheck online questionnaire, five months and one week after giving birth has been highlighted as the crucial time to offer support.
This is the time when visits from friends and family decline and when first-time mothers feel most anxious and isolated about their baby’s wellbeing. The time also coincides with changes in the baby’s development such as weaning.
Young parents get helping hand
28/10/2009
It is well known that teenage pregnancy and health inequalities are closely linked. With Britain having one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Western Europe, the issue is a major contributing factor to health gaps seen up and down the country.
Medway in Kent is no different to many areas, with a teenage pregnancy rate similar to the national average. But the council, local primary care trust (PCT) and acute trust are tackling the issue head-on through the multi-agency Supporting Young Parents integrated team.
Family Nurse Partnership improving outcomes for vulnerable families
23/09/2009
Young first time mothers are being helped to improve the life chances of their babies and fathers are more involved in the early years of their children’s lives thanks to the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) programme, independent research published today has found.
The Family Room: Coalition of twelve family charities
21/08/2009
The Family and Parenting Institute is coordinating a coalition of 12 leading family charities to attend the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative Party Conferences this Autumn.
The coalition is made up of the Family & Parenting Institute, Relate, Gingerbread, The Fatherhood Institute, the Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships, One Plus One, Family Action, Parenting UK, Children England, Home-Start, Parentline Plus, and Family Links.
Being a parent in the real world
20/08/2009
Being a Parent in the Real World’ is a new booklet written by Laverne Antrobus, presenter of ‘House of Tiny Tearaways‘, and our Parent Know How partners (including Parentline Plus and Netmums).
Aimed at parents of 0-19- year- olds, the booklet offers advice and tips on being clear, staying calm and remaining confident on key issues parents face in bringing up their children.
Copies can be ordered on 0845 6022260 quoting reference 00181-2009BKT-EN.
To download a copy, and find out more about the information and support available to parents from the Parent Know How providers and how they can complement or reduce burdens on local services, please see the DCSF website (link below)
Grandparents need flexible working to ease hardship
19/06/2009
Grandparents should have access to flexible working and childcare payments to stop them getting caught up in a "cycle of deprivation", according to a report from charity Grandparents Plus.
The report finds that grandparents are increasingly single (from eight per cent 10 years ago to 15 per cent today) and on low incomes (from 18 per cent in 1998 to 26 per cent today). A third of grandparents under the age of 55 say they find it very difficult to cope financially.
Sam Smethers, chief executive of Grandparents Plus, said: "This report challenges the cosy image we have of the retired grandparent with time to spare. For many, particularly the ‘Gran-carers' who are of working age, on low incomes and who provide most of the childcare, it's a real struggle."
Young fathers complete support course
15/06/2009
A PROJECT aimed at supporting young fathers in Thurrock has completed.
The Thurrock Young Fathers project ran for 10 weeks and included a series of support and information groups within the borough’s children centres.
The scheme was available for anyone up to the age of 25, and was held in Tilbury Children’s Centre.
Subjects covered included: budgeting, relationships, anger management, and health.
The workshops offered practical support and guidance in these and other areas.
See publication link for further information
Young Parents Helped To 'Know More' About Drugs And Alcohol
03/06/2009
In the run up to National Tackling Drugs Week (8th-12th June), drug and alcohol services in Liverpool have gathered together to host 'Know more' an event which will showcase a range of services that offer advice and support to young people and their families.
The event is a result of pioneering partnerships between Young Addaction Liverpool and other support organisations who are sharing resources and linking together to provide a more joined-up approach to young people in challenging situations...
A unique new partnership approach with Liverpool Sure Start Children's Centres is one such example. As Nick Evans explains, "We often see a pattern of drug and alcohol misuse passed on through generations, from grandparents, to parents and to children, so we began looking for ways of supporting parents to break free of their drug or alcohol use, and help prevent their children getting caught in the same struggle."
Praise for prison’s family learning
02/06/2009
A SCHEME to bring prisoners and their families closer together through play and learning has been hailed a success at Buckley Hall Prison.
Terry Piggott, Rochdale’s education executive director, visited the category C men’s prison to view the facilities and education provided...
SureStart workers, who work part-time at the prison, have developed activities to develop interaction between prisoners and their children. The television set in the waiting area at Buckley Hall, which has a library provided by Rochdale Council, has been replaced with books and play equipment. And in the visiting area prisoners can read, play, draw and paint with their children.
'Give younger fathers as much support as mothers'
28/05/2009
Young fathers should be offered intensive support to help them be good dads, according to a poll released on Monday by the Fatherhood Institute, alongside the 'Invisible Fathers' action plan.
The ten-point action plan, launched in National Family Week, lists changes needed to improve the way services work with young fathers. The Institute says they are some of the most invisible, marginalised and vulnerable parents in the UK.
The Institute calls for midwives, health visitors and teenage pregnancy support services to assess the needs of young fathers-to-be separately. It also wants the Government to come up with guidance for local services, such as children's centres and Connexions, which it says should monitor how many young fathers they are engaging with and publish the results.
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Public calls for rethink on young dads, new poll reveals
25/05/2009
Fatherhood Institute urges services to provide better support to ‘invisible’ young fathers
The British public feels young dads need extra help to overcome economic and social disadvantage, negative portrayals in the media and neglect by services, according to a new ICM poll launched today by the Fatherhood Institute. 69% say the media often present a negative image of young fathers and nearly two-thirds think the younger the father, the less likely he is to stick around. However, 9 out of 10 say young dads should be offered intensive support to help them to be good dads.
The results come as the Fatherhood Institute marks the start of National Family Week with an Invisible Fathers action plan – calling for public services to actively support young dads in overcoming economic and social disadvantage and finding a positive role as fathers.
For more details please click on the publication link below.
More money for recession support
12/05/2009
The government is giving an extra £3m to charities who offer help to families struggling to cope with the recession.
Couples counselling organisation Relate will receive £1m to provide face-to-face and telephone support to an extra 40,000 people. Helpline Parentline Plus will receive £150,000 and other parenting groups which offer online support and debt counselling will also get a boost.
The announcement comes after Ministers visited some of the 3,000 Sure Start Children’s Centres which are now helping families cope with the impact of the recession by providing services such as advice on training and seeking work.
Baby growth charts introduced to increase breastfeeding
06/05/2009
New charts will be introduced next week to measure the growth of babies in a bid to increase breastfeeding and reduce obesity.
The charts will be based on the presumption that babies are breast-fed, as opposed to the current system, based on growth rates for formula fed babies.
Health chiefs are keen to promote the benefits of breastfeeding as children gain weight more slowly as opposed to when they are fed with formula.
This measure leads to a 1kg difference in weight by the age of one.
Supernanny course for teen mums
07/11/2008
Supernanny meets Jamie Oliver in a new parenting course under way for teenage mums.
The Children's Centre at Brookside Primary School, Street, has embarked on a Parents With Prospects course teaching the 16 to 19-year-olds parenting and life skills.
Sessions cover how to be a good parent, with tips on discipline and helping young children to learn, as well as weaning and healthy eating issues.
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Brown announces expansion of childcare programme
21/09/2008
Helping young working families will be a central plank of Labour policy with the prime minister set to announce a £1 billion package to provide free nursery places for all two year olds.
Free support services for parents and carers
20/09/2008
"EXPECTANT parents and carers in Wyre Forest can access a range of support services from Children's Centres and the Family Information Service.
Children's Centres in Wyre Forest provide a range of child and family health services for free, including ante-natal services. "
Sure Start model benefits teens
13/08/2008
A children’s centre in Milmead has started a programme for teenagers which includes sessions on smoking cessation, sexual health as well as cooking arts and crafts.
Council helps teenage parents back to school
06/08/2008
The Care to Learn scheme, run by Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County Teenage Pregnancy Partnerships, means parents up to the age of 20 can study at school or college or join a work-based training scheme. Nottinghamshire County Teenage Pregnancy co-ordinator, Jackie Ward said: “We hope that the scheme will provide reassurance to young parents who would like to return to education or training, and enable them to take up new opportunities that will improve the future outcomes
Teen Mums Will Get Extra Help
24/04/2008
Since then she has received funding from the Government's Care To Learn scheme allowing her to pay for 18-month-old daughter Michaella's childcare at the Aspley Children's Centre.
The little parent book
02/04/2008
A new parenting manual is to be distributed to every new mother who leaves a maternity unit. The move is part of plans to bring parenting under the control of central government.
Young Mums declare Breast is Best
17/03/2008
TWO young mums are proudly declaring that breast is best as part of a new campaign.
New course provides young mothers with fresh hopes for future
03/03/2008
A teenage parenting course is helping young parents at Whipton Sure Start Centre, Exeter.
Teenage Pregnancy: Improving Outcomes for Teenage Parents and their Children.
02/08/2007
To complement guidance sent last year to local areas on accelerating reductions in under-18 conceptions, the Department for Children, Schools and Families has launched a refreshed strategy designed to improve outcomes for teenage parents and their children.
Special events for teen parents
03/07/2007
That's why Wigan Council's teenage pregnancy team is running a series of special events for young parents and parents-to-be.
Support for Young Mums
14/02/2007
YOUNG mothers, expecting their first baby and who could benefit from a high level of support and home visiting, are to benefit from a new scheme offering intensive support from community midwifes and health visitors.
Support for Young Mothers
09/02/2007
YOUNG mothers in Somerset could benefit from a new scheme offering intensive support from community midwifes and health visitors.
Children off to a bright start
27/01/2007
“The development of children's centres across the county has contributed to increased good quality learning experiences for young children and their families.